Juniper laid on her side, scrolling through Raphael's phone.

"How do you get mail if we're on an island?" She asked aloud as he got dressed. She'd slept for fourteen hours after taking her tea, Raphael didn't leave her side and now that she was feeling better he was just now starting his day.

Feeling his side eye at the random question, Juniper looked up to glare impatiently at him.

"It's a simple question-"

"I just felt like it was common sense-"

"Well if it's too difficult for you to answer I'll just go ask someone else!"

Raphael pushed her back into bed as soon as she tried to get up, her groggy body fell back into the mattress almost too easily. Juniper moaned in annoyance.

"They uh- well it's different since we have portals. The mailing system is set up in a port on the mainland then driven through a portal- you're not even listening anymore!"

Raphael patted her thigh pesteringly.

Juniper hummed, "I don't know why I asked I don't care anymore. I want to buy this thing for the baby." His phone was held obnoxiously close to his face. Raphael squinted to see she was looking at different swaddles.

"Buy it, you don't need to ask me."

"Well I wanted your opinion," Juniper narrowed her eyes at him with a huff.

Juniper was particularly snippy after waking up this morning.

"Baby," he spoke slowly while kneeling between her thighs. She wore only his
t-shirt and barely there underwear, his own button up was open and hanging from his broad chest. She hummed in acknowledgement while rubbing his hand that held her.

"Pretty girl," he kissed her knee to coax her. "Love of my life..."

Juniper's suspicious gray eyes darted up.

"Do you think you're avoiding the elephant in the room maybe?" Raphael peered at her worriedly. Her father whom was staying at a hotel at the moment in the island had not been mentioned once since last night.

Juniper pouted, dropping the phone on her chest. Immediately her bottom lip wobbled.

"I didn't want to talk about it cause I k-knew I'd cr-cry," Junioer hiccuped and as if a flip was switched she began to cry at the mention of her dad.

"I'm sorry- I'm so sorry sweetheart. Fuck-" His eyes widened as Juniper trembled, he'd seen her cry sure. He'd just gotten used to that but this chest heaving and breath stuttering as she hiccuped. Her hand wiped at her continuous tears that just never seemed to end.

Juniper quickly apologized as well, trying to get a hold of herself. Both fumbled over the others apologies, Juniper covering her eyes that wouldn't stop leaking and Raphael dutifully wiping any tears that streamed down her face.

"Juniper what can I do? I'm such a fucking idiot, god I'm sorry baby. I'll do anything to fix it," Raphael's brows were furrowed in great concern, resorting to kissing all over her face that was available to him.

"They won't stop," this only made Juniper cry harder. She laughed pitifully between her sobbing, having completely lost it.

"You're going to be fucking dehydrated at this rate-" he lifted her into his lap while bringing a cup to her mouth.

Juniper allowed Raphael to force feed the water into her mouth, glaring through her bleary tears.

After taking deep breaths to stifle her crying, Juniper could finally blink without wetting her cheeks further.

"I don't want to give up on him yet. But I don't... I don't trust him to do what needs to be done. Maybe he can visit once a year? Keep low contact and minimal visits with Santi but I just... My heart hurts at the thought of cutting him off," Juniper suddenly blurted.

Raphael's eyes widened a bit, before slowly nodding. "Okay," he brushed her hair behind her ear.

"What do..." she swallowed hard. "What do you think of that?"

"I think whatever makes you happy makes me happy. You're the boss," he nudged his nose against her own.

Juniper leaned forward so their foreheads rest against one another, "You think that's the right decision?"

"I think that," he chose his words carefully and thought them over. "I think that you need to get more things off your chest and are hoping for a different future with Elijah. Those are all fair things to feel and desire."

"But do you think it's right?"

Raphael sighed, "I just worry so much about you, sweetheart." He cupped her cheek while brushing his lips over her own. "Seeing you cry feels like someone's tearin' my heart out. Knowing your father has made you feel like this all your life- it pisses me off beyond belief. The thought of him disappointing you again makes me want to bury him six feet under."

Juniper hummed a bit, taking in his mildly elusive answer. Their lips brushed one another as she sniffled a bit.

"You're always going to be more than enough for me," the shadow demon suddenly blurted.

Her cheeks flushed a bit as his eyes widened in surprise.

Juniper sucked on her bottom lip, "I just don't want you to think I'm... trying to find something that I'm missing. I could go on living happily just seeing your face for the rest of my life. You might drive me a little crazy but you're the only person I'll ever need."

Raphael's face was soft, dark eyes staring down at her deeply as if inti her soul. When she told him she loved him back, he felt over the moon and her verbally telling him she needed him almost matched that euphoria. Of course he knew it in the back of my mind but for Juniper to admit she needed anyone felt priceless.

"I'd give this all up for you- you know that?"

Raphael kissed her lips briefly, watching her blink up at him with her long lashes.

"I know." She rubbed his chest up to the nape of his neck while toying with his hair gently.

"I support whatever you want to get out of your dad. I've got your back no matter what," his nose brushed her rounded one.

Between them he rubbed her stomach, soothing any anxiety she was carrying.

"We can talk to him tomorrow?"

"Yeah baby," he nodded while looking between them at her round belly. He swore- every morning he woke up there was more growth. Maybe because he stared at her expanding womb every waking moment of every day lately- out of fascination and possessiveness that was bordering mania at this point.

Santiago would be strong, he could feel it in his bones.

Juniper saw him looking down as usual, he did this frequently now. His staring was always familiar now it was just focused on her stomach more than usual.

"I'm so god damn lucky, know that?"

A smirk did tug at her mouth for a moment before she nodded cheekily.

"You got lucky, we're the same type of crazy."

Raphael grinned down at her, seeing her eyes light up as if remembering something.

"Oh! I was looking at nursery's," she practically squealed while holding his forearms that massaged her plush hips.

"Yeah?" he rasped with a soft look on his face.

"Mhm," she nodded enthusiastically. "I want forest green walls. And a dark crib."

He suspected she would be changing her mind halfway through the pregnancy-maybe multiple times. But on the other hand Juniper was astoundingly hard headed and resolute in her decisions- so Santiago might just have his room forest green for damn near the rest of his life if Juniper put her mind to it.

Despite his own inner monologue, Raphael nodded with her. "That sounds good, he'll like that."

"Eh, debatable. Did you know babies only see black and white? Like their shits all fucked up they see like blurs. I was reading the book Demi gave us."

"No shit?" Raphael hummed.

"No shit," she assured him.

His dark brows furrowed, "So what's the point of all the extra stuff?"

"Fuck if I know, but I'll be damned if he isn't wearing matching outfits and fancy booties every day of his infancy."

They both smiled at each other, simultaneously leaning forward for a kiss.

Once they parted, her eyes were gleaming. "I'm serious I already have his hospital outfit picked out. And mine."

Raphael barked a laugh, "And you say I have OCD."

Juniper gave him an unimpressed look, "That's not OCD, baby. Like at all actually. And I talked to your doctor who literally has you diagnosed in his file."

Raphael made a noise in offense, "That's not true." There was doubt in even his voice.

His mate looked at him unamused with his denial.

"...Is it really?"

"Highlighted and everything."

"Damn."

Juniper tried to keep her face serious but couldn't help a rouge snort in amusement. "I mean really, Raph I love you and nothings going to change that but you don't think it's interesting you wake up in the middle of the night to relock all of the doors repeatedly? It's completely normal to twist the lock twice and the doorknob three times... with every lock in the house?"

Raphael turned his face with pursed lips, side eyeing her. "I have to check."

"I know, handsome. And I love you for it, doctor says he thinks the pregnancy is a stressor. That you'll be more anxious than normal," her tone was light and her eyes sincere.

Raphael tugged them both to lie next to one another on the bed. "Does that bother you?" He rubbed her sides soothingly.

"No, not one bit. Whatever makes you feel better, I just want you to tell me if anything is bothering you. Don't think I haven't noticed you aren't sleeping as much."

Raphael grunted, burying his in her chest to avoid her glare. They both knew he'd been on edge, it was a given. He did his job well, he just had some interesting outlets for managing that stress.

Like the locks, like the stress sanitizing, like openly staring at Juniper and her belly like the baby would fall out at any moment for bordering on hours nowadays.

Juniper says it started as soon as they'd gotten back from the battle against Sebastian. But he isn't convinced, but now he literally couldn't deny it since his favorite past time was not just watching her. The mates could be engulfed in complete comfortable silence and Raphael would just watch his Juniper do whatever it is she wanted at the moment.

The berserker grunted again, "Don't like that doctor anyway."

Her chest shook with chuckles, "Missing the point, hun."

~

The next weeks turned into a month and a half before anyone knew. Juniper's belly grew, her relationship with her father became more clear as they had the important conversation they needed.

Juniper made sure she was clear in what she wanted, they had boundaries. He could visit twice a year, message within reason, Dana and her demon spawn was to be kept away from Juniper especially during the pregnancy. In fact, she made it clear she didn't even want to hear their names. Unless it was to tell her they would be divorcing.

If Elijah made any move out of line, all contact was cut. And once Juniper left, Raphael told him he'd rip his eyes out of his skull if anything was done that he didn't deem acceptable.

The clarification made Juniper significantly less stressed, Raphael noticed.

She was in his home office now, getting paper work for the island done as he worked with the legion. His attention had been completely split in half much to his chagrin, the league was demanding a lot from his as they sorted out the new section of Berserker's aligned with them.

It was late, she'd been unable to sleep without her mate and her rapidly changing body. Soon enough, it was going to be catching up to her.

Her normally acute awareness of her surroundings was dulled as the loud opening of her door scared her.

Juniper's wide gray eyes looked up, holding her quick beating heart.

Raphael frowned at her frustratedly.

"The fuck are you doin' awake, mate?" he rumbled as the sight of his pregnant woman  so tired made him uncomfortable. As if everything in the world was wrong because she was clearly not happy.

"Can't sleep," she narrowed her eyes at him. Daring him to start a fight.

"You don't have to be doing this stuff, Juniper. Not good for you," he rumbled with narrowed eyes as he rounded on her.

"Well no one else is going to do it. You'll work yourself into the ground, Saint," she piped while standing up. If she was tinier, it would have been quick and dramatic to emphasize her emotions but she was pregnant. Instead she held her belly to keep her balance as the bump was still rather big and heavy for her three months of gestation.

The use of his surname made his skin crawl since he knew she did it just to make him aware that she was annoyed.

"You need sleep-"

"I can't sleep!" she threw her hands up exasperatedly. "I bought a stupid pregnancy pillow to sleep and it's not here!"

Raphael balked in offense, "You don't need a pregnancy pillow I'm your pregnancy pillow!"

If steam could come out of her ears they both swear it would right now. "You're not here!" Juniper stomped her foot.

Raphael groaned tiredly, he knew he was overworked. He knew Juniper realistically had to pick up the slack from his now two demanding roles, but that wasn't fair to her.

"I'll get someone else to handle the Island paperwork I can't get to," he sighed while reaching for her.

Juniper slapped at his hands while crossing her arms. "I don't want anyone else to do it. I don't trust them, I want to do it," she pouted indignantly.

A single brow rose at her attitude and he almost found himself amused.

His hands almost itched without holding her for so long.

"Baby," he sighed while sitting on top of the desk, his body completely turned to her. "Just let me hold you please?"

The pleading tone of his words made her pout even more. Her stubbornness losing the war that currently was her emotional state.

Juniper kept her face turned away but took short, choppy side steps towards her mate. As soon as she was in reach, his hands were all over her.

The feeling made them both moan in relief. His hands soothed all over her sore body, rubbing her shoulders and back, massaging her breasts and finally rubbing circles on his growing boy.

"How bout this?" Raphael grumbled against her shoulder as he practically huffed her scent.

"You and Warren work on specific sections of the paperwork, hm? You trust him, I trust him. You can show him the ropes and delegate what he does. But you can only do four hours of paper work a day- I mean it June-" he growled when he saw her open her mouth to argue. "I'll know if you go over, I swear it woman."

Finally, she sat on his knee and he took it as an invitation to hike her up into his lap.

Her opaque eyes examined his face as she thought, "Five hours."

"Three."

"Four and a half."

"Bed rest."

"Four," she grit through her teeth.

He kissed her cheek, rewarding her for the compromise.

Large hand reaching for her cheek, he turned her face towards him.

"Gimme' a kiss, Juni baby," he rasped quietly. Juniper rolled her eyes, leaning forward and pecking his soft pout gently.

"Miss you," he spoke quietly against her lips while leaning back in. She reciprocated as she held his large bicep.

"Miss you more," her tone finally softened as did her entire body. Tension rolled off of her.

"Not possible," he insisted while rubbing her hips. "So beautiful today, I could look at you until the end of time ya know that?" His forehead rested against hers.

Juniper smiled a little at his buttering up, accepting it either way while kissing the bridge of his nose.

"Please put me to sleep," Juniper finally whined. Her exterior broke just like he knew it would, the sentence barely left her mouth before he was lifting her up.

Juniper fell asleep best tucked under Raphael's arm as she laid on her side. Her belly often flush against his hip as her legs bent and tangled with one of his own. Her face and nose in particular buried in his chest for his scent to soothe her.

"Say less," he was already halfway up the steps before she knew it.

~

this is the end of the Elijah story line it was actually really hard for me to write?? i wasn't sure if my own issues were making me think different but i also had to write for Juniper not necessarily myself.

like what would she do knowing her father is her weakness but also Juniper always does the hard things that need to be done?

i'm glad to get this out even if it's late!! i wanted to make it a hefty chapter for u guys
the next few will just be pregnancy time skips and future things :))

what would u guys like go see any scenarios before the birth or after with the baby? open to suggestions!! please give them🫶 love u guys sm!!